Outer Emotion
by Mio-san
Summary: Fear is a powerful thing. Once it gets inside of you, it spreads like a virus, infecting the very strands of your DNA until it rules your entire being. But with that fear can come something more… a flood of chaotic, outer emotion. Outer Science fic for KidoKano, may contain OOC! Rated T for character death and Kuroha.


**A/N: I'm turning into some sort of angst factory. Is that a bad thing?**

…

"_No!"_

Kido's anguished scream rang out into the shocked, hopeless silence as Konoha collapsed, blood seeping from the wound on his chest and soaking his clean, white shirt. His light pink eyes were wide with disbelief, and his hands were clenched into fists, but the gentle Konoha they knew had already gone, snakes writhing around him in a sort of bloodlust-induced frenzy.

"_Konoha!_" It was Mary who first rushed to their fallen friend's side, her face already streaked with tears. "Konoha, please! Don't leave us! We need you!"

"Mary, stop!" Seto warned, but the young medusa crawled past Konoha's body and stood up once more, slipping slightly on the blood that coated the floor. Her eyes flashed red and she attacked the figure standing easily in the shadows, clawing at his clothes and biting his skin and kicking his legs as hard as she could. "_How could you?!_" she screamed. "_Bring him back! Bring him back!_"

"Mary, _stop!_" Seto abandoned the rest of the Mekakushi Dan and grabbed the girl around the waist, pulling her away from her victim. Mary fought and scratched for just a few moments before she went limp, sobbing into Seto's chest. "Please," she whimpered. "Please, please, please, please…"

Seto's eyes glistened, and Kido could tell that it wasn't just their friend's death he was crying for. "Shhh," he murmured, his voice wobbly. "It's okay. It's okay."

_No, it's not,_ Kido thought, the words bubbling up inside her and threatening to make her sick. Her hand fumbled for something, anything, beside her, and clenched something thin and warm—Kano's hand. He glanced at her, surprised, but made no move to pull away, instead clutching the green-haired girl's hand like a lifeline.

"We have to get out of here," she murmured, biting back tears.

"I know," Kano mumbled back. His eyes were wide with fear, but his shoulders were straight and his chin held high, almost as a last, naïve act of courage. "Just wait."

Kido nodded firmly and made to beckon the other members, but then a high, shrill laugh echoed through the empty space. The figure Mary had attacked was shaking with mirth, doubling over and then throwing back his head, each gasp of hysterics piercing the silence like a knife. "Ah, humans~!" he cried, fighting for breath. "So predictable. If you wanted to struggle, you should have at least made a show of it."

Hibiya lifted his face from Momo's shirt, his cheeks streaked with tears. "Y-you can't hurt us," he challenged defiantly. "If you want my family, you'll have to go through me!"

"Hibiya, no!" Momo whispered, grabbing his shoulders. The small boy twisted away from her and stepped forward, towards Konoha's alter ego. "So?" he shouted, his voice cracking. "Come and get it, bastard!"

"_Stop, _Hibiya!" The blonde girl rushed forward and tucked him behind her, backing away, towards Shintarou and Ene, who were standing paralyzed behind them. "Please," she begged the dark Konoha. "He's sorry. Don't hurt him."

Dark Konoha—_Kuroha, _thought Kido, in a sickening revelation—laughed again, smiling like a madman. "Oh, _I _won't hurt him," he promised, and flicked his hand. Hibiya was suddenly ripped from Momo's gasp and flung backwards—straight into the path of a truck, which had materialized on the road behind him. Momo screamed, shoving past Shintarou to get to him, and Kido darted after her without a thought, yelling, "Momo! Don't!"

But it was too late. The truck slammed into Hibiya, mowing over the small boy's body and coating the pavement in a spray of blood. Crimson spattered Momo, Kido, and everything around them, and the leader of the Mekakushi Dan reeled in horror, falling to her knees.

Momo heaved and threw up on the ground, then fainted.

"Onee-chan!" Kido had never heard Shintarou's voice so frantic. He rushed to his sister's side and pulled her into his arms, running his hands through her hair, an expression of combined revulsion and worry etched on his face. "Momo!"

Meanwhile, rough hands found Kido's, and Kano pulled her backwards. "C'mon," he grunted. "_C'mon, _Kido."

Kido shook her head, digging her nails into Kano's skin. "No way. Just get me out of here." She shuddered, the image of Hibiya's mangled body burned into her mind. "Please, Shuuya. Get me out of here."

The cat-eyed boy drew back in shock at Kido's use of his given name as Kuroha snickered behind them. "Insanity feels good, doesn't it?" he chortled. "Don't worry. You'll learn to enjoy it."

_Bastard, _Kido's mind raged, but her hands were trembling and she could barely bring herself to move. Beside her, Momo groaned as her eyes fluttered open, and Seto pulled Mary closer to him as Konoha's malevolent counterpart stepped forward.

"Ah~" he sighed. "So much… _fresh meat._" Kido shivered as his gaze bore straight through her, golden eyes piercing her soul like needles. "Now, who shall I release first? Perhaps… the lovely young woman, over here?"

Shintarou looked up, wild-eyed, as Kuroha turned his stare on Momo. He grinned wickedly. "Oh, don't worry. She won't feel any pain."

"N-no way!" Shintarou grabbed his sister and struggled to push her away, the latter moaning groggily. "Stay away from her!"

"Shintarou-kun, be careful," Seto advised. Kido registered the muscles flexing in his arm and thought, _They're going to protect Momo. Momo. Hehe, why did I say that twice?_

She began to giggle hysterically. It was just so hilarious, the idea of losing her mind. And so cliché. The victims were going insane, just like the plot of a bad horror movie! It was absolutely ridiculous! Kido began to laugh, the sound ringing in the silence, shaking with mirth as she leaned into Kano. The blonde teen stared at her in shock, but Kido barely noticed. She held her sides and continued to laugh.

_I'm losing my mind. Out of my mind. Wait, was anybody even inside in the first place? Ahahahahahaha!_

"Kido, please!" pleaded Kano.

"Oh, just let her!" Kuroha laughed. He grinned in amusement, one eye fixed on Momo, the other strangely distorted in the couple's direction. "The less you're aware, the more fun we can have~ Now, who's up first? Like I said, perhaps the young lady?"

"Screw you," Shintarou growled, getting to his feet and standing in front of Momo. "Come and get me if you want her."

"Stop! Just get out of here!" Seto yelled.

"Oh, but don't run from me… won't you just stay still and accept death?" Kuroha pouted. He turned back to Shintarou with a twisted smile. "You want me to come and get you? If you insist."

Faster than anyone could tell, a gun materialized in Kuroha's hand and he fired at the dark-haired hikikomori, whose eyes were wild with fear and… something else. Determination? Kido could barely tell. She hardly cared as he fell to the ground, didn't mind when Mary's petrified scream rang out through the air, and didn't turn away when Kuroha stepped over Shintarou's motionless body and yanked Momo into his arms. He turned around, holding the girl carefully, and rubbed his bloodstained thumb over her cheek. "Anyone up for a little fun~?"

"Get your hands off of her!" Seto's voice was raw with furiousness and grief.

"I think I'd rather kill her." Kuroha sighed theatrically as she stirred in his grasp. "But how about this? I'll give you sixty seconds to run. When time's up, she's dead, and I come after all of you. _Or…_" he paused. "You could stay here like the 'heroes' you are and attempt to rescue her. Your choice, of course~"

Mary whipped around to glance at Seto, while he shot a panicked look at Kano, who yanked Kido to her feet. "Let's go, Leader," he muttered in her ear. "We've got to get out of here while we still can."

"But… we're going to miss the main event… hahaha!" Kido staggered and almost fell.

Kano growled deep in his throat in a moment of frustration. "_Please… _Tsubomi," he whispered. "Come back to me. We need to get out of here."

Kido stared at him through dark, depthless eyes, the same crazed smile on his face. As Kuroha began to count down, she blinked. "Ka… Kano?"

"The one and only." Kano's knees went weak from relief. "C'mon. We need to—"

"But what about—"

"He'll kill Momo anyway. _Go!_" Kano shoved Kido into the shadows and she stumbled, beginning to run. He motioned to Seto and the dark-haired teen picked up Mary, tears silently cascading down both of their faces, and sprinted away in the other direction.

As Kano turned away, he heard a gasp. Momo had come to and was struggling in Kuroha's grip, her eyes wide with fear. "Oh God!" she screamed. "Oh God, no! Someone—Shuuya! Shuuya, help me!"

It tore at Kano's heart to see Momo thrashing about as Kuroha chuckled. But their enemy had reached thirty seconds, and Kido was probably long gone, if the girl could run at all. He cast a frantic gaze at Kuroha's prisoner. "I'm sorry," Kano whispered.

"Wait! _Wait!_" Momo screamed once more, a feral, primal sound full of terror. But Kano turned away, his soul shrieking, and ran.

He ran and ran as fast as he could.

He ran like he had never run before.

Not even a single, petrified, heartbroken scream from behind him could halt him as Kuroha ripped Momo apart.

Not even his grief.

Not even.

As Kano was rounding a crumbling pillar, a hand shot out and yanked him into the darkness. He yelped and scrambled for a handhold, but then another hand clamped over his mouth and Kido pulled him down beside her, slamming their weight against a piece of cracked cement. "Shut up!" she mumbled.

He almost collapsed with relief. "Kido."

"Well, duh." Kido could not have been happier to see the blonde boy's face, but she kept the words to herself. "You're alright."

"Yeah."

"Seto and Mary?"

"They ran. I don't know where they are."

"Oh, God." Kido shuddered. "Kisaragi. She's dead, isn't she?"

"I… think so."

The green-haired girl felt bile rising in her throat and forced it back down. "What are we going to do?" she whispered.

"I have no idea."

"Well, a lot of good that's going to do us."

The look on Kano's face was so shocked and hurt that Kido instantly regretted saying what she had. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "But this is so surreal. I can't believe it's really happening."

"Me neither." Kano grinned at her halfheartedly. "But on the bright side, it's just the two of us, right? A lot of things could happen this wa—"

"Stop it."

"Stop what?"

"_That_." Kido shoved her hand into Kano's chest. "Deceiving me. I know you are."

"Oh, you can't prove that~" Kano gave a quiet laugh.

"Yes, I can."

"No, you can't."

"Yes, I can."

"No, you can't."

"Yes, I _can_!" Kido reached out and slapped Kano in the face. He reeled, startled, and for just a moment, his golden, catlike eyes flickered—revealing a masquerade of bright red and a frightened, shell-shocked exterior. Then it settled back into place and he shot her another smile. "No, you can't."

"You…!" Kido turned away and curled into a ball. "God, you're hopeless. You can't even be serious when all of our friends are _dead_." The word resonated in her head and set her ears ringing.

There was a moment of silence, then Kano's hands shot out and grabbed Kido's shoulders, turning her around to face him. Her eyes widened in shock, but the scathing words she had prepared died on her lips as Kano lifted his mask, revealing wild, terrified eyes, a chest heaving shaky breaths, and a face so pale it rivaled Kido's porcelain complexion. "You w-want me to stop lying?" he said fiercely. "Fine. Here it is."

Kido was so taken aback that it took her a few moments to realize that her mouth was hanging open. She clamped it shut and reached out. "I…"

"It's okay," he said with a half-smile. "I know I don't always… tell the truth."

"No, that's not it. I just…" Kido squirmed. "I'm sorry. That I didn't believe you. And everything."

Kano just looked at her with melancholy eyes.

"I've been so blind," she continued on, then gave a quick laugh at the irony. "I've never asked you what's wrong, or how you're dealing with any of this, and back there, when I was…" Kido shuddered. "When I was going insane, you just stayed right there with me. And all I've ever done is yelled at you, or called you an idiot for trying to protect us with that _stupid _smile. It wasn't the best way to protect us, mind you, but at least you were trying." She paused for breath. "And now almost everyone is dead, and I wish I wasn't breaking down like this, but I just—I'm just scared."

"So am I."

Kido took another deep breath. "I haven't been the leader—no, I haven't been the _person _you deserve to be around, and I've never made it clear to you what my true feelings are. And I don't know if you're just lying to me again, or whatever you choose to do—I don't care, okay? I just need you to know that I care about you." She felt a lump build in her throat and forced it back down. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so, sorry."

There was another pause, and suddenly Kano reached for Kido and pulled her against him, the latter's eyes widening as he held her tightly. She made to move away, but his fingers dug into her hoodie, and she paused.

"Please just stay," Kano was saying. "Just for a few moments. Before he finds us."

Kido felt a chill run down her spine and moved closer to the blonde boy, feeling the pounding pulse of his heart through his jacket. The two of them stayed that way, clutching at each other, as somewhere in this desolate dimension, a murderer hunted for them, and fear occupied their minds.

And yet… there was something about Kano's embrace that was warm and reassuring, creating the illusion in Kido's mind of safety. She rested her head against his chest and squeezed her eyes shut, wishing everything away.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded on the concrete. Kido's eyes snapped back open and she dug her nails into Kano's arm, nauseous with fear. "It's him," she whispered. "He's back. Oh my God, he's back."

Kano didn't say anything, but when she looked up, she stifled a scream—his eyes were flickering back and forth between golden and scarlet, and his face was twisted into a grimace of terror. "Don't move," he muttered.

Kido stayed perfectly still. She moved closer to Kano and they sat in utter silence, waiting for the footsteps to pass. But they didn't. They merely stopped—as if Kuroha was waiting.

_Oh my God. I'm going to die. Kano's going to die. He's going to kill—_

And then Kano's mouth was pressed against hers, and she gasped lightly as he pulled away with a shocked expression—as if he himself couldn't believe what he had done. She opened her mouth to say something, but Kano simply pressed a finger to her lips and moved his mouth to her ear, leaning in to say something before they emerged.

"I love you, Tsubomi," he whispered, squeezing Kido's hand. "And that's not a lie."

…

**A/N: Oh, God. This was about four pages longer than I originally planned.**

**Well, whatever. For KanoKido fluff, I would write a thousand-page document. R&R guys!**


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